SALT LAKE CITY — College readiness is one of the reasons the Utah State Legislature passed a bill investing $10 million to establish the Utah STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Action Center. A second purpose is to close the performance gap for seventh and eighth grade math.

Educators met last month for an all-day workshop focused on sharing best practices and reviewing teaching technologies from experts in the field.

The workshop involved 185 teachers from 70 Utah schools, who together reach more than 31,500 students, according to a press release.